PLUS

Ezra 1:1 “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation, throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,”

Ezra 2:1 “Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;”

Ezra 2:64 “The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore.”

Daniel 5:4 “They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.”

God’s people had been kidnapped and shipped to Babylon against their will. They were stripped from their homeland and forced into a strange land. Decades later, a new king emerged and allowed the people to return to the promised land. The number that did so: 42,360.

Biblical historians tell us that this was ten to twenty percent of the Israelite population resident in Babylon. The rest stayed in the land that had captured, exiled, and abused them.

While the Israelites were physically released, they were still entangled and ensnared by the ways of the world. The gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone had become familiar and acceptable to them. They were no longer eager to return to the promised land regardless of the conditions that drew them away from their inheritance and no matter how hollow they felt as exiles in a godless land.

In our age, the allure of modern-day Babylon entangles and ensnares in every corner of our society. The gods of gold, of silver, of brass, or iron, of wood, and of stone quickly become familiar and acceptable. Power, prestige, popularity, wealth, accomplishment, and reputation clamor for our attention, exiling us from our spiritual inheritance. In many cases, we are no longer eager to return to the promised land regardless of the conditions that drew us away from our inheritance and no matter how hollow we feel as exiles in a godless land.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO AVOID THE TRAPPINGS OF BABYLON. Once we are drawn away, the entangling and ensnaring forces make it very difficult for us to return to the promised land.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

Job 42:10-12 “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold. So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.”

Job 42:16-17 “After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Job experienced some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable. It was a grueling season of life that required a healthy dose of faith and resilience. Yet, it also mandated a proper perspective of hopefulness driven by a right understanding of the future.

How long was Job’s trial? The Bible doesn’t specifically say. Piecing together the components of the narrative, however, reveal a challenging period that required several months of extreme endurance. It was a season of life characterized by heartache, pain, loss, and sleepless nights.

Zooming out, though, reveals something powerful. Despite the loss, Job emerged from his challenges with more than he had before – specifically twice as much as he had before. And he enjoyed those post-challenge blessings for 140 years.

We all go through seasons of trials – sometimes extreme trials. You may be going through one now, even one characterized by heartache, pain, loss, and sleepless nights. In the moment, everything seems bleak and hopeless. Yet, you should expect that season to give way to another, and another, and another. And through faithfulness and hopefulness with our eyes on the horizon, God can use it all for His grand purposes.

There are no guarantees that the next season will see you with more than you had before. God doesn’t promise that. Yet the Lord does promise that He can use what’s going on now for His glory and honor. And like Job, you may find that the dark clouds of today can give way to a brighter tomorrow when you keep your eyes on the horizon.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ENDURE TODAY’S CHALLENGES WITH FATIH AND HOPE FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE. Today’s season of trial can be best endured by a proper perspective of the future with our eyes on the horizon.

ADMIN: I won’t be publishing a PLUS blog next weekend, but please keep praying faithfully for widespread revival in the United States of America while keeping your eyes on the horizon.

I Samuel 17:11 “When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.”

I Samuel 17:31-33 … 37 “And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth … David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.”

Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee”

It is right to expect that the older leaders among us provide an ample source of faith, hope, and inspiration. Especially when the stakes are high, the mindset of the masses is pivotal to success.

Sadly though, sometimes our leaders fail us, and their lack of faith, hope, and inspiration sap our spirit and dampen our determination. Their skepticism, criticism, cynicism, and doubt are an infectious impediment. King Saul was creating such a culture for God’s people, and his leadership was causing them to fall short of the Lord’s plan for them.

Yet, things are not lost when the leaders stumble in this way. The younger members of our community can step into the gap and wrestle the situation back to hope-propelled success. That is exactly what David did for an otherwise doubtful population.

Jesse’s youngest son stepped up and convinced their lethargic leader that there was a cause! David’s words were well rehearsed and well-reasoned. They were enough to tip to scales in this critical situation, providing a springboard for success against the Philistines.

Yes, the leader should have propelled the people towards victory, guided by faith, hope, and inspiration. Yet, sometimes it takes someone less steeped in the many reasons why failure is likely to expect the impossible. Instead of being distracted by worldly limitations, their spirits are boosted by the knowledge that nothing is too hard for God.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO POSITIVELY SHAPE THEIR CULTURE IN SPITE OF LOOMING CHALLENGES. The stakes are high for our society today, and we need a source of faith, hope, and inspiration. Whether you are younger or older, be that source!

II Timothy 2:2 “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 “And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”

Joshua 24:31 “And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.”

Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

President Ronald Reagan reminded us of this powerful truth:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It has to be fought for and defended by each generation.” Freedom is powerful but perilous.

The same can be said for spiritual liberty through Christ. It too is powerful but perilous.

Each generation has a responsibility to fight for it and raise up leaders whose influence for Christ can foster multi-generational impact. But the replication of effective leaders doesn’t happen by accident. It needs to be part of our deliberate and intentional activities. 

It must be considered an essential part of following God’s direction to mentor and develop the next generation of the faithful.

Joshua is an unquestioned hero of the faith. His leadership led to a generation of nationwide faithfulness. Yet, his success didn’t happen by accident. Moses spent four decades developing Joshua so that he could launch successfully when needed the most.

Unfortunately, there’s no Biblical evidence that Joshua did the same for the generations that followed him – he didn’t prepare a protege or create a culture of leadership development. As a result, the subsequent generations struggled in their succession.

One generation passed away and their momentum waned. Joshua’s successes were powerful but perilous.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIAN LEADERS WOULD PROPERLY PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS. Otherwise, any momentum for the cause of Christ will wane. Leadership successes may be powerful today, but they are also perilous.

Proverbs 22:29 “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”

Daniel 1:3-4 “And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning, and the tongue of the Chaldeans.”

Daniel 1:20 “And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”

Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

I Chronicles 12:32 “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.”

Heroes in the Bible who had an oversized impact on their societies were certainly faithful. They were absolutely obedient and trusting. Yet, they often exhibited an additional set of characteristics as well.

They were excellent and they were astute. They understood the cultural and political environments in which they lived, and strove for faith-filled relevance and connection. They engaged passionately in their studies and in pursuit of mastery.

They were well favored, sometimes even standing out because they had become ten times better than their peers. They were invited into the palace, they rose to power and prominence, and they were able to stand before kings.

Importantly though they didn’t do so for their own glory. Instead, they strove heartily as to the Lord.

And it didn’t just happen by accident. They diligently prepared so that they could guide a society that was lost and seeking the right path forward.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO FAITHFULLY CULTIVATE THE TALENTS GOD HAS GIVEN THEM FOR HIS GLORY. By diligently preparing, we can engage with a society that is urgently looking for what it ought to do.

ADMIN: I won’t be publishing a PLUS blog next weekend, but please keep praying faithfully for widespread revival in the United States of America while diligently preparing to stand before kings!